Netanyahu: We killed the candidate for the new leader of Hezbollah

“Hezbollah is seriously weakened and has no leadership,” Israeli Defense Minister Joaw Galant said on Tuesday. He added that “the group's military potential represents the level that Hamas had at the beginning of the war a year ago, or perhaps even less.”

– Israel destroyed Hezbollah's capabilities, we eliminated thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah, his successor and his successor's successor (…) today Hezbollah is the weakest in years, Netanyahu said in a speech addressed to the Lebanese. He called on them to oppose this organization and “liberate Lebanon from Hezbollah's control.”

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 27. According to the media, Safiedine was killed in an attack on the night from Thursday to Friday. Hezbollah did not confirm his death.

Arab media o Safiedini's death was reported already on Saturday.

On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah began regularly shelling the northern part of Israel to “show solidarity” with the Palestinian Hamas. The terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip attacked southern Israel the day before, starting a war that continues to this day.

Attacks by those controlling the south Lebanon Hezbollah faces strong counterstrikes from Israel. In recent weeks, Israel has sharply increased the scale and scope of its airstrikes, and for the last week it has also been conducting a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

– Despite Israel's painful blows, Hezbollah's resources remained intact, Qasem, who now formally heads the organization, announced in a televised speech on Tuesday.

Qasem added that Hezbollah supports efforts to reach a ceasefire. He did not mention that it would have to be preceded by a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The group's official position has so far been that Hezbollah will not stop attacks on Israel until the fighting in Gaza stops.

Powered by Iran The Shiite Hezbollah was considered one of the most powerful non-state armies in the world, dangerous due to its extensive missile arsenal, estimated at 100-200 thousand missiles. The organization's fighters are also seasoned in battles, they gained experience, among others, during the civil wars in Syria and Yemen.

According to the Israeli armed forces, during the year of the conflict in Lebanon, about 800 terrorists, mainly Hezbollah members, were killed, including 90 commanders. However, the group is still capable of firing missiles at Israel. On Tuesday, it fired about 105 rockets at Haifa. Most of Hezbollah's missiles are destroyed by Israeli air defense, but constant attacks have forced the evacuation of approximately 60,000 civilians and are disorganizing life in the north of the country. During a year of shelling in Israel, approximately 50 people died.

Since Israel has stepped up attacks on almost all of Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed there. The authorities in Jerusalem emphasize that their target is Hezbollah and they do not want to hit civilians, but they constitute a very large part of the victims.